A stronger apprenticeship system for Ontario: Ontario’s apprenticeship strategy

Message from the Minister

There has never been a more exciting time to work in Ontario. The investments we’re making in infrastructure, technology and industry mean that new jobs are being created every day. Businesses are growing, looking for the talent and skills needed to keep up with the momentum of our changing economy.

We’re meeting that demand by growing a talented, inclusive workforce. Building a strong workforce must include opportunities for hands-on learning and mentorship. In other words, we need an apprenticeship system designed to respond to and thrive in tomorrow’s economy.

That’s why we’re introducing our new Apprenticeship Strategy. Our vision is an apprenticeship system that is easy to join, navigate and complete. It’s a system where apprenticeship is a valued and respected part of the postsecondary education system. Where everyone — regardless of their age, gender or background — can access and progress through an apprenticeship of their choice and pursue the career of their dreams.

Throughout the creation of this strategy, our partners have told us that training people who are eager to learn and acquire new skills is the best way to fill workforce gaps and grow a business. I could not agree more. I want to thank our partners for their advice, their support, and all they continue to do to make Ontario’s apprenticeship system among the best in the world.

Through the implementation of Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy, we will build on the strengths of our people, creating more opportunities for apprentices and employers to succeed while growing our economy to the benefit of everyone in the province.

The Honourable Mitzie Hunter, MBA
Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development

Introduction

An apprenticeship system for the new economy

Ontario’s economy is changing. New technologies, globalization and shifting demographics mean changes to the mix of available jobs and the skills people need to succeed in them. It’s critical that Ontario’s apprenticeship system meet these changing demands, giving apprentices the skills they need to prosper and providing employers with the talent they need to thrive.

The province is modernizing Ontario’s apprenticeship system by building on its considerable current strengths. Ontario’s goal is to develop a system that provides end-to-end supports for apprentices and employers and maximizes the system’s potential.

Ontario’s commitment to the apprenticeship system is already strong:

• In 2013, the government established the Ontario College of Trades, an industry-driven professional regulatory body that protects the public by regulating the skilled trades and supports the trades by promoting them.
• In 2016–17, the government invested $160.6 million in apprenticeship programs to support apprentices, employers and Training Delivery Agents. An estimated $128.8 million was also provided to employers through the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit (ATTC).
• The government also expanded mandatory exam preparation courses to help apprentices pass certification exams.
• In fall 2017, Ontario announced it would change the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit (ATTC) to the Graduated Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (GAGE) and revise the Employer Completion Bonus (ECB) to better support employers in seeing apprentices through to program completion.

The newly envisioned system will be better able to meet the needs of apprentices and employers by attracting, training and qualifying the skilled workers who will enable Ontario to achieve its objectives – such as renewing public infrastructure, creating a green economy and responding to changing economic needs.

The foundation for Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy is the partnership among all those who bring the system to life, and their collective knowledge, expertise, passion for work and commitment to apprenticeship. The Ontario government looks forward to this continued partnership to achieve the goals of Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy.

What we heard from apprenticeship system partners

There are many parts and players in the apprenticeship system, both inside and outside government, and it is important to maintain an ongoing dialogue to hear their views and perspectives.

During 2017, the Ontario government undertook a province-wide engagement with a cross-section of the apprenticeship community. More than 1,000 people took part in these working sessions. The purpose in coming together was to discuss opportunities to improve the apprenticeship system and think about ways to build on what’s working well.

Participants at the sessions included: the Ontario College of Trades; college and union-based training providers; labour; employers; industry groups; school boards; Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program coordinators, and apprentices from many skilled trades and sectors.

During these discussions, apprenticeship sector partners said that many aspects of the apprenticeship system work well, noting that Ontario has proven ability in producing some of the best tradespeople in Canada and the world. Partners also said that there are both common themes across the province’s regions and unique challenges that need local solutions. In Northern Ontario, for example, people must travel longer distances for both in-class and work-based training.

While sector partners agreed that completing an apprenticeship is a great way to furnish people with in-demand skills for a successful and fulfilling career, they also agreed that there is still a need to improve the perceived value of apprenticeship and of careers in the skilled trades. Earlier outreach to elementary and secondary school students would make young people more aware of attractive career options in the skilled trades. There is also a need to provide clearer, more easily accessible information and tools to students, young adults, and educators about the steps involved in apprenticeship, and how to navigate them. Having ready access to the information and resources needed to explore a career in the skilled trades sets prospective and new apprentices up for success.

We need to be promoting the trades to students and having parents promote them to their kids during high school. I think more kids would be in the skilled trades if their parents talked to them about it. We need to get involved. I would encourage all the businesses to embrace this system. These young people have so much education and so much potential, I wish they saw how much they had.

Peter Rempel, Employer Sponsor, Rem Tech Industries

Those who wish to become apprentices often need help finding an employer to sponsor them. This is especially true in smaller communities with fewer employers. Apprentices need more support during their apprenticeship journey, and easy access to resources. Students, newcomers and people who have recently entered the workforce would benefit from a central resource where they can find all the information and resources they need, and more and better ways to get help with questions or challenges they encounter at all stages of their apprenticeship.

If I could change one thing about the current system, I would love to see a streamlined online apprenticeship registration program. When you sign up as an apprentice, you get a package of information, but it was kind of all over the place. I didn’t know what to expect and ended up having to get information from my co-workers. And it would also be helpful to know in advance when you’ll be sent off to school as an apprentice, so you can plan your life.

Brenda Egberts, Apprentice Plumber

It needs to be easier for employers to learn about and access the many government programs and services that exist to support apprenticeship sponsors, and to attract more employers to participate in apprenticeship. Working in partnership, the province can help to address challenges employers face, such as financial costs, and schedules for in-school training that are not always compatible with business needs. It is also important to work collaboratively with employers, the Ontario College of Trades, and others to maintain standards and enhance quality control to ensure apprentices are getting a high-quality on-the-job training experience.

The demographics of people in the apprenticeship system do not reflect Ontario’s population. In building an inclusive, highly skilled workforce in Ontario, it is important that opportunities and diversity increase within the skilled trades for all underrepresented groups, including women, Francophones, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and racialized people.

Profile of apprentices in Ontario

Based on the number (68,510) of active apprentices
The demographic information is based on self-identification by apprentices.
Source: Ontario Demographic Profile, 2011 Census

There remain many ways to improve and simplify administration of the apprenticeship system, such as moving away from paper-based systems and providing digital services, including centralized resources and services.

Ontario’s apprenticeship system needs to be more client-centred, for both apprentices and employers, using technology to provide transparent, flexible and easily accessible service.

It would be great if we could simplify the process. A lot of our trainers are small- and medium-sized employers, and they just don’t have the time or the staff to deal with complexity. When I think about how systems to renew your driver’s licence have become so easy, I just think, why can’t ours be automated in the same way? If we want to make our system the best in the world, we need to keep building and improving.

Suzanne Moyer, Chair, Trades and Apprenticeship,
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning,
Waterloo Campus

Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy

Responding to the valuable insights and opportunities heard from partners, Ontario has developed an apprenticeship strategy to meet the increasing need for a highly skilled workforce.

In a future-state vision, Ontario’s apprentices, employers and sponsors will thrive in a modern apprenticeship system that maximizes potential; is clear, transparent, and accountable for outcomes; and provides the support and resources needed for all participants to benefit.

Working in partnership with the many people who bring apprenticeship to life, the Ontario government will implement Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy, a multi-year plan comprising a suite of short- and long-term initiatives built around these five essential pillars and future-state goals:

• Promote apprenticeship: Ontarians view apprenticeship as a respected postsecondary pathway, and have the information and resources they need to pursue it.
• Support and retain apprentices: More apprentices complete their apprenticeships and obtain certification; the apprenticeship system is transparent and accountable for outcomes.
• Engage and support employers and sponsors: Employers in the skilled trades see apprenticeship as the desired training pathway for developing the talent they need. Local innovation and partnerships are leveraged in the apprenticeship system.
• Increase participation of underrepresented groups: The demographics of the province are more closely reflected in its apprentices.
• Update the apprenticeship system through digital enhancement: Ontario’s modernized apprenticeship system uses digital technology to provide client-centred, flexible, and seamless service to apprentices and employers.

The five pillars of Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy

Promote apprenticeship

Make young people, their families, and educators in Ontario’s elementary and secondary schools more aware of the value of apprenticeship as an exciting path to a rewarding career, on a par with attending college or university.

Key initiatives

Short-term

• Review the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and propose recommendations to support clear pathways and better transitions from secondary school into apprenticeship.
• Develop marketing and outreach activities targeted to students, guidance counsellors, parents, and underrepresented groups, with initial emphasis on making these groups more aware of careers in the skilled trades and in-demand trades, and of the related educational requirements.
• Leverage Skills Ontario, Future Building, Training Delivery Agents, and other organizations to increase the number and kinds of experiential learning opportunities in the skilled trades that are made available for students in elementary and secondary school.

Long-term

• Support the expansion of experiential learning related to the skilled trades for elementary and secondary students and adult learners.
• Continue to offer the “Deeper Conversations on Education and Career/Life Planning” program for educators through ongoing professional development.
• Work with the Ontario College of Trades, colleges, and universities to explore credential mapping between apprenticeship and degree programs and/or the possibility of providing additional credentials for apprentices.

Support and retain apprentices

Ensure that the province’s apprentices are in the best possible position to succeed, by providing them with exceptional customer service through technology-enabled services and seamless support through the apprenticeship pathway. Apprentices and potential apprentices will get support at every step in the process, including finding a sponsor, registering as an apprentice, pursuing on-the-job and in-class training, and becoming certified.

Key initiatives

Short-term

• Develop recommendations to expand services to help apprentices connect to training opportunities and find an employer sponsor, as well as to help employers find apprentices.
• Improve skills assessment for apprentices up front and provide opportunities for them to upgrade their skills, to ensure they have what they need to be successful in their chosen apprenticeship.
• Work in collaboration with apprenticeship partners to develop a customer service strategy that provides exceptional, end-to-end customer service to apprentices and employers. The strategy will include identifying service priorities and performance indicators.

Long-term

• Make it easier for apprentices to access their in-class learning, with a standard wait-time for training, online training options and support for apprentices in rural and remote communities.
• Review the apprenticeship seat-purchase process to develop recommendations to improve outcomes for apprentices.
• In partnership with the Ontario College of Trades, improve support for apprentices to prepare for exams – for example, by scheduling exams closer to the time that the apprentice completes the last in-class training session – and expand practical exams to more trades.

Engage and support employers and sponsors

Improve access to information, programs and services for employers and sponsors. Employers and sponsors will be active partners in the apprenticeship system, with access to the supports and information they need to successfully train and retain apprentices, including improved employer financial incentives.

Key initiatives

Short-term

• Transform the existing Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit into the new Graduated Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (GAGE) and revise the Employer Completion Bonus (ECB) to provide financial support to employers as apprentices meet key milestones.
• Expand the use of employer consortium (group sponsorship) models throughout the province to support the participation of small and medium businesses in apprenticeship training.

Long-term

• Launch regional sectoral hiring and training strategies that can help address skills and labour shortages, meet inclusive hiring priorities, improve completion rates, and create clearer and easier pathways to trades certification.
• Work in partnership with the Ontario College of Trades, Training Delivery Agents, and employers to develop continuing education programs in the skilled trades that will help journeypersons keep their skills current to meet the evolving needs of employers, the workforce, and the economy.

Increase access for underrepresented groups

Increase representation in apprenticeship and the skilled trades of all underrepresented groups, including women, Francophones, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, racialized people, and newcomers, by promoting apprenticeship and providing targeted supports to employers. The strategy will support changes in workplace culture that will create a welcoming, supportive environment for all apprentices, and will improve entry pathways into the apprenticeship system for learners from underrepresented groups.

Key initiatives

Short-term

• Provide a financial bonus through the new GAGE program to employers who train an apprentice from an underrepresented group.
• Reach underrepresented groups through planned outreach and marketing activities that promote apprenticeship.
• Launch a working group and a community of practice to find other ways to support and retain apprentices from underrepresented groups.

Long-term

• Explore expanding the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program to increase access from underrepresented groups, including women and girls.
• Explore redesign of the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program to better reach and successfully place participants from underrepresented groups, including developing a scorecard for measuring the quality of pre-apprenticeship programs, and sharing best practices to support continuous improvement.
• Develop resources to support employers and sponsors in creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for underrepresented groups.
• Work in collaboration with employers, sponsors and other partners to set up a mentorship program for participants from underrepresented groups.

Update the apprenticeship system through digital enhancement

Leverage digital technology to support implementation of key initiatives of the entire strategy, serving as a foundation for service improvements that support all partners. Provide online resources and services, including instant access to labour market information, a streamlined and simplified digital application process, and matching services for employers and apprentices.

Key initiatives

Short-term

• Launch an apprenticeship web portal as a one-stop location for all apprenticeship information and resources.
• Post a list of provincially recognized training providers online to support apprentices in making informed decisions about their training.
• Launch a skilled trades section as part of the province’s labour market information site to provide both online province-wide and regional information on apprenticeship opportunities and job prospects.

Long-term

• Streamline and simplify the apprenticeship application process, making registering and becoming a member of the Ontario College of Trades a one-step process.
• Continue to expand digital services to support apprentices, employers, and sponsors, offering digital log books, exam preparation support, in-class schedules and registration, and online customer service.

Monitoring progress

A key part of the vision for a modernized apprenticeship system is that it will be transparent, and accountable for outcomes. Initially, four broad indicators will be used to measure progress:

1. The percentage of apprentices completing their training and receiving certification
2. The number of apprentices from underrepresented groups completing training and receiving certification
3. The percentage of apprentices transitioning directly from high school and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
4. The average age of entry for apprentices

The Ontario government will work with sector partners to create a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the relevance, reach, delivery, effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed apprenticeship modernization initiatives, and will regularly share progress and results.

Implementing Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy will be a multi-year process. Ongoing engagement with system partners will continue through an updated governance structure to ensure that the work proceeds with consideration of the input and representation of employers, sponsors, apprentices, Training Delivery Agents and other key partners. The process will include short-term, task-oriented tactical working groups that will assist in developing and implementing specific initiatives.

Where we go from here: next steps

During the 2017 engagement sessions, the Government of Ontario committed to a multi-year process to modernize the province’s apprenticeship system – and to keep on working together with sector partners. This ongoing engagement will ensure that the implementation of the modernization strategy continues to consider and balance the interests of all players in the apprenticeship system.

Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy builds on the strong foundation of the province’s existing apprenticeship system. It provides a framework for all partners in the system to work together in addressing specific challenges that apprentices, employers and sponsors currently face, providing end-to-end supports for apprentices and employers. Its focus is on improving apprenticeship completion rates, increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups, and making it easier to navigate the apprenticeship system. Equally important, the strategy is aimed at increasing awareness of opportunities in the skilled trades and of the value of apprenticeship, as a vital part of Ontario’s education and training system, to individuals, their communities and the economy.

In close collaboration with partners in Ontario’s apprenticeship system, the province is already moving ahead in implementing the Apprenticeship Strategy. Ontario will continue to make sure that apprentices have the skills they need to be successful, that businesses have the talent they need to thrive, and that Ontario’s economy continues to grow even stronger.

The government of Ontario would like to thank all whose who have so generously contributed their time and talents to the development of Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy: the individual apprentices and tradespeople, the unions, the employers and employer organizations and associations, Ontario’s colleges, the Ontario College of Trades, Training Delivery Agents, school boards, Employment Ontario service providers, and the Premier’s Expert Panel on the Highly Skilled Workforce. Their insights, perceptions, and ideas about ways in which Ontario can build on the many strengths of the current system have been invaluable.

Appendix A: Glossary

apprenticeship: A skilled trades training program in which apprentices spend 85–90% of their time training on the job with qualified skilled workers and the remaining 10–15% on classroom or online training, generally completing two to three levels of schooling over the course of a two-to-five-year apprenticeship.

articulation agreement: An official agreement between two institutions (e.g., a college and a university) that allows studies taken in a specified program at one institution to be credited towards a specified program at another institution.

Certificate of Apprenticeship (CofA): The certificate issued by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development to an apprentice on successful completion of an apprenticeship.

Certificate of Qualification (CofQ): The certificate that represents an individual’s successful completion of an exam testing their knowledge and competency related to the performance of tasks involved with the practice of a trade. The CofQ is issued by the Ontario College of Trades.

community of practice: A group of people who share a craft or profession, are passionate about the work they do, get better at it by getting together regularly to share ideas and perspectives, and come up with ways to solve problems and challenges.

compulsory trade: A trade in which registration as an apprentice or journeyperson candidate, or certification as a journeyperson, is mandatory under the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009. There are currently 23 trades that are designated as compulsory trades. The full list of trades can be found on the Ontario College of Trades website (PDF, 312 Kb).

credential mapping: The process that an educational institution follows to assess course work and qualifications obtained by a student at another institution or in another province or country, to find out what knowledge and skills the student may already have when entering a program at a particular level.

journeyperson: Someone who holds a valid Certificate of Qualification in a trade and who is a member in good standing of the College of Trades Journeyperson Class for that trade. Note: A journeyperson in a voluntary trade may hold a Certificate of Qualification issued by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development prior to April 8, 2013; for these individuals, membership with the College of Trades' Journeyperson Class is not required.

Ontario College of Trades (OCOT): The professional, board-governed regulatory college that is responsible for regulating and promoting the skilled trades in Ontario.

Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009: The Act that established the Ontario College of Trades and defined its scope and activities.

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP): A school-to-work program that opens the door for students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations starting in Grade 11 or Grade 12 through cooperative education.

Pre-apprenticeship training program: A program that helps potential entrants to the apprenticeship system develop their job skills and trade readiness so that they will be prepared to find work as apprentices.

Red Seal: A national designation that confirms a tradesperson’s competence to perform a trade anywhere in Canada, without the tradesperson’s having to take another examination.

sponsor: A person who has agreed, via a registered training agreement, to ensure that an individual is provided with the training required as part of an apprenticeship program established by the Ontario College of Trades. A sponsor can be from an employer, union, or trade association, and will hire, train, and pay an apprentice during an apprenticeship.

Training Delivery Agent: A recognized training institution approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development to deliver the classroom component of an apprenticeship program based on the Ontario College of Trades' approved curriculum. Most Training Delivery Agents in Ontario are colleges and union- or employer-sponsored training centres.

unregulated, voluntary skilled trade: A trade that does not require the tradesperson to be certified or registered with the Ontario College of Trades to work in Ontario, under the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009. The full list of trades can be found on the Ontario College of Trades website. (PDF, 312 Kb)

Appendix B: Apprenticeship system roles and responsibilities

Government of Ontario

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development: Administers apprenticeship, and provides funding for training and registration.

Ministry of Education: Administers and delivers the secondary school program requirements of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Ministry of Labour: Responsible for the regulatory and administrative oversight of the Ontario College of Trades.

The Ontario College of Trades (OCOT)

OCOT is responsible for developing apprenticeship training standards, establishing journeyperson-to-apprentice ratios, certifying tradespersons, classifying trades (compulsory or voluntary) and enforcing compulsory certification.

Operates under the authority of the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009.

Training Delivery Agents (TDAs)

Deliver in-class training; include colleges, and non-colleges such as union- and employer-sponsored centres.

Employers/Sponsors

Agree to sponsor an apprentice’s training; provide on-the-job training.

Unions

Act as group sponsors for apprentices (only if not serving as the Training Delivery Agent).

Employment Ontario (EO) Service Providers

Help apprentices find employers willing to train them.

Offer programs to help apprentices develop or upgrade skills needed to succeed in their training and exams.

Industry Bodies

Advocate for employers and may be involved in the Ontario College of Trade’s Trade Boards.

Individuals

Many individuals, in all of the above organizations, play important roles in mentorship, providing information, and helping apprentices find employment and training.

Acknowledgements

Many people and organizations have contributed to the development of Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy. The Ontario government would like to thank individual apprentices and tradespeople; unions; employers and employer organizations and associations; Ontario’s colleges; the Ontario College of Trades; Training Delivery Agents; school boards; Employment Ontario service providers; and the Premier’s Expert Panel on the Highly Skilled Workforce. The Ontario government appreciates their invaluable guidance, commitment, and dedication to modernizing Ontario’s apprenticeship system, and their contributions to the development of this strategy.

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